A 2011 study published in Human and Experimental Toxicology, a medical journal, found a correlation with aggressive vaccination rates and high death rates among infants.

Increasing numbers of parents—especially the more educated parents—no longer trust the American government’s public health campaigns.

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In March, 2008, when Hannah Poling’s family was awarded more than a million dollars by the government to pay for her care, Julie Geberding, M.D., then head of the CDC, insisted: ”the government has made absolutely no statement about indicating that vaccines are the cause of autism.”

In December 2009, Geberding left the CDC and was named president of Merck Vaccines.

I wish to acknowledge author Jennifer Margulis whose careful and thorough research in her book The Business of Baby was invaluable.

244 COMMENTS

thank you for sharing this. I have B”H grandchildren now, when my children were young I did not know what to do. I did not know that the single vaccine was an option. I have had the feeling for a long time that he who holds the gold holds the power and the “truth”, in what ever form it takes.

thank you for sharing this. I have B"H grandchildren now, when my children were young I did not know what to do. I did not know that the single vaccine was an option. I have had the feeling for a long time that he who holds the gold holds the power and the "truth", in what ever form it takes.

I am sorry to hear you are discouraging people from vaccinating young infants against diseases as dangerous as pertussis, diphtheria, tetanus and measles. Any of these diseases can kill or seriously harm a child. Adverse events from vaccine can happen, but are very very rare; that is not true of the harms of vaccine preventable diseases.

I am even more sorry to see you do it on the basis of an attack on the institutions, rather than on the basis of actual information. You say that you “differ with their statement that “there is no credible evidence that the MMR vaccination causes mental or physical damage to children.””; but there is no evidence that serious risks from MMR are anything but very, very rare and you have brought none. The vaccine injury court exists; it compensated less than 3300 cases in the 24 years of its existence, a very small numbers, especially given the large number of vaccine doses used. Here is a detailed analysis of the number: http://www.redwineandapplesauce.com/2013/03/05/a-look-at-the-numbers-in-vaccine-reactions/. There is no evidence that vaccines are harmful, and you have brought none; and still you encourage people not to use them to protect children.

Your autism claim – that vaccines cause autism – is based on two things: a defense of Wakefield, and the Hanna Poling case. As to Wakefield, putting aside his behavior, remember that his finding could not be replicated. Large scale studies from throughout the world found no connection. You can’t blame the CDC for that – it included studies from Finland, Poland and Asia. Here is a link summarizing studies: http://www2.aap.org/immunization/families/faq/vaccinestudies.pdf.

Hanna Poling was not awarded compensation because a vaccine made her autistic. She had a rare mitochondrial disorder that could be triggered by many things – including a fever from a vaccine preventable disease – but the government conceded the possibility it could be caused by her vaccines and awarded compensation.

Someone is still pushing this old canard? Even if vaccines were causal in this case, and there’s no evidence suggesting that, one case out of hundreds of millions of vaccinations that prevented millions of deaths seems like an amazing risk benefit ratio.

Thank you, Rabbi Handler, for this information so that parents can make “informed consent” before they decide whether to vaccinate or when to vaccinate. For even more information, parents can google “vaccine package inserts” to find out out what adverse reactions have been reported both in the testing and after-market phase of vaccines. Anywhere you see “encephalitis” or “encephalopathy”, be very cautious. This is brain damage, which underlies autism symptoms. Here are some links: http://www.immunize.org/packageinserts/ and http://www.vaclib.org/chapter/inserts.htm#human.

The old Pharma Shill Gambit. How tired. You can’t argue facts so you try to make it sound like some mysterious conspiracy is trying to make you sound foolish. Who is paying you? Chiropractors, Naturopaths, Big Suppla. Mercola, Natural news?

I am sorry to hear you are discouraging people from vaccinating young infants against diseases as dangerous as pertussis, diphtheria, tetanus and measles. Any of these diseases can kill or seriously harm a child. Adverse events from vaccine can happen, but are very very rare; that is not true of the harms of vaccine preventable diseases.

I am even more sorry to see you do it on the basis of an attack on the institutions, rather than on the basis of actual information. You say that you "differ with their statement that “there is no credible evidence that the MMR vaccination causes mental or physical damage to children.”"; but there is no evidence that serious risks from MMR are anything but very, very rare and you have brought none. The vaccine injury court exists; it compensated less than 3300 cases in the 24 years of its existence, a very small numbers, especially given the large number of vaccine doses used. Here is a detailed analysis of the number: http://www.redwineandapplesauce.com/2013/03/05/a-look-at-the-numbers-in-vaccine-reactions/. There is no evidence that vaccines are harmful, and you have brought none; and still you encourage people not to use them to protect children.

Jenifer L Sellars 25? I am counting around 4 million in the listed studies. AAPS? The John Birch Society of medicine? 3000 members and declining. HIV denialists? Yes, yes, yes, and yes. A fringe crackpot group like antivaxers.

Your autism claim – that vaccines cause autism – is based on two things: a defense of Wakefield, and the Hanna Poling case. As to Wakefield, putting aside his behavior, remember that his finding could not be replicated. Large scale studies from throughout the world found no connection. You can't blame the CDC for that – it included studies from Finland, Poland and Asia. Here is a link summarizing studies: http://www2.aap.org/immunization/families/faq/vaccinestudies.pdf.

Hanna Poling was not awarded compensation because a vaccine made her autistic. She had a rare mitochondrial disorder that could be triggered by many things – including a fever from a vaccine preventable disease – but the government conceded the possibility it could be caused by her vaccines and awarded compensation.

Direct oral suction during ritual Jewish circumcision (metzitzah b’peh) has been documented to transmit herpes simplex virus (HSV) type 1 to newborn males (1-4). In December 2012, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) received a report of a new case of HSV-1 infection in a newborn male infant attributable to direct oral suction.

In total, 12 laboratory-confirmed cases of HSV-infection attributable to direct oral suction have now been reported to DOHMH from 2000 – 2012. Two of these infants died, and two others suffered brain damage (4). In the most recent case,
the location of herpes lesions (on the penis), viral type (HSV type 1, which is commonly found in the mouth of adults), and timing of infection (10 days after circumcision) are consistent with transmission during direct contactbetween the mouth of the ritual circumciser (mohel) and the newly circumcised infant penis.

When evaluating an ill infant boy in the weeks following circumcision, providers should inquirewhether direct oral suction was performed during circumcision and consider infection with HSV or other oral pathogens.

Jenifer L Sellars Scarlet fever is still around but currently can be treated with antibiotics, for the moment. Scurvy is a vitamin C deficiency. Typhoid fever is still around and even with modern treatment has a 1% fatality rate. sanitation has helped curb it’s spread.

All of that has nothing to do with whether vaccines work. Modern evidence and science based medicine has shown that they do. It seems to make you angry that vaccines are so effective. Does it threaten your closely held beliefs?

Your first link (to a legit organization) doesn’t say what you imply it says, and your second link leads to this warning from Facebook: “The link you are trying to visit has been classified as potentially abusive by a Facebook partner.”

How about some SCIENCE? Its difficult to vet out solid science without a conflict of interest. (read: CDC and lobbyist) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3170075/ Infant mortality rates regressed against number of vaccine doses routinely given: Is there a biochemical or synergistic toxicity?

Someone is still pushing this old canard? Even if vaccines were causal in this case, and there's no evidence suggesting that, one case out of hundreds of millions of vaccinations that prevented millions of deaths seems like an amazing risk benefit ratio.

Jenifer L Sellars All it is saying is that acellular Pertussis vaccine needs a booster shot at around 11 to 13. You still are 23 times less likely to have Pertussis with the shot than without.

Quote from the summary of the article…”To overcome the problem, it needs to be recognized that B pertussis is circulating in all age groups and, therefore, for herd immunity there is a need to universally vaccinate all age groups at frequent intervals”

The VICP has paid out at least 83 cases of vaccine-induced encephalopathy (aka “autism) and that has been documented by Pace University School of Law. Vaccines are legally categorized as “hazardous waste” and “unavoidably unsafe.” Dorit you work at a law school so you must be smart but you’re not thinking critically and seeing through the government/corporate propaganda. I wish you well as you continue to study this.

Thank you, Rabbi Handler, for this information so that parents can make "informed consent" before they decide whether to vaccinate or when to vaccinate. For even more information, parents can google "vaccine package inserts" to find out out what adverse reactions have been reported both in the testing and after-market phase of vaccines. Anywhere you see "encephalitis" or "encephalopathy", be very cautious. This is brain damage, which underlies autism symptoms. Here are some links: http://www.immunize.org/packageinserts/ and http://www.vaclib.org/chapter/inserts.htm#human.

Vaccine “science” is NOTHING BUT “tobacco science” plain & simple. It is NOT based in valid & legitimate UNBIASED fact, but rather just like the same “science” that claimed that smoking & tobacco were safe in the 1950s (and prior) vaccine “science” is based on manipulated data & biased studies conducted by those with clear conflicts of interest, secret agendas & ulterior motives!

First off, the ONLY reason that the Vaccine Injury Court has only compensated a very small number of cases is because LESS THAN 10% OF VACCINE INJURY & VACCINE INDUCED DEATH CASES ARE EVER EVEN REPORTED to VAERS!!

So IN ONLY 3300 CASES have been compensated and that is LESS than 10% of the TOTAL VACCINE INJURY cases, the number of UNREPORTED vaccine injuries is NOT small, but rather a LARGE PERCENTAGE of the number of vaccine doses given!!

For example, the CDC in China ADMITS that “for every life they help save from disease – the dreaded jab also harms more than 1,000 children, according to the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention.”

The old Pharma Shill Gambit. How tired. You can't argue facts so you try to make it sound like some mysterious conspiracy is trying to make you sound foolish. Who is paying you? Chiropractors, Naturopaths, Big Suppla. Mercola, Natural news?

Jenifer L Sellars 25? I am counting around 4 million in the listed studies. AAPS? The John Birch Society of medicine? 3000 members and declining. HIV denialists? Yes, yes, yes, and yes. A fringe crackpot group like antivaxers.

Direct oral suction during ritual Jewish circumcision (metzitzah b’peh) has been documented to transmit herpes simplex virus (HSV) type 1 to newborn males (1-4). In December 2012, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) received a report of a new case of HSV-1 infection in a newborn male infant attributable to direct oral suction.

In total, 12 laboratory-confirmed cases of HSV-infection attributable to direct oral suction have now been reported to DOHMH from 2000 – 2012. Two of these infants died, and two others suffered brain damage (4). In the most recent case,
the location of herpes lesions (on the penis), viral type (HSV type 1, which is commonly found in the mouth of adults), and timing of infection (10 days after circumcision) are consistent with transmission during direct contactbetween the mouth of the ritual circumciser (mohel) and the newly circumcised infant penis.

When evaluating an ill infant boy in the weeks following circumcision, providers should inquirewhether direct oral suction was performed during circumcision and consider infection with HSV or other oral pathogens.

Jenifer L Sellars Scarlet fever is still around but currently can be treated with antibiotics, for the moment. Scurvy is a vitamin C deficiency. Typhoid fever is still around and even with modern treatment has a 1% fatality rate. sanitation has helped curb it's spread.

All of that has nothing to do with whether vaccines work. Modern evidence and science based medicine has shown that they do. It seems to make you angry that vaccines are so effective. Does it threaten your closely held beliefs?

Your first link (to a legit organization) doesn't say what you imply it says, and your second link leads to this warning from Facebook: "The link you are trying to visit has been classified as potentially abusive by a Facebook partner."

Jane, for the first link, you can click on the disease such as Hepatitis B, then click on the vaccine brand name such as Engerix-B, on pp. 6 and 7 are the adverse reactions from clinical trials and post-marketing. As for the 2nd link, it worked fine when I posted it earlier. Possibly an over-zealous vaccine proponent is abusing the Facebook reporting system?

Kelly, I never suggested anything about a conspiracy. No one is paying me. My child is vaccine-damaged. I hope that others will take the time to become fully informed about all aspects of vaccinations and make their own choices for their own children, something I never knew to do until it was too late.

How about some SCIENCE? Its difficult to vet our solid science without a conflict of interest. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3170075/ Infant mortality rates regressed against number of vaccine doses routinely given: Is there a biochemical or synergistic toxicity?

Jenifer L Sellars All it is saying is that acellular Pertussis vaccine needs a booster shot at around 11 to 13. You still are 23 times less likely to have Pertussis with the shot than without.

Quote from the summary of the article…"To overcome the problem, it needs to be recognized that B pertussis is circulating in all age groups and, therefore, for herd immunity there is a need to universally vaccinate all age groups at frequent intervals"

The VICP has paid out at least 83 cases of vaccine-induced encephalopathy (aka "autism) and that has been documented by Pace University School of Law. Vaccines are legally categorized as "hazardous waste" and "unavoidably unsafe." Dorit you work at a law school so you must be smart but you're not thinking critically and seeing through the government/corporate propaganda. I wish you well as you continue to study this.

Thank you Rabbi, for looking a bit deeper into the situation which has blinded so many. I trained as a pediatrician, ran an ER, have a masters in disaster medicine and I can’t begin to tell you how deep the corruption is between pharma and the CDC. It is beyond the pale!

Unfortunately, kelly Bray, your comments are not based in reality. The majority of outbreaks in the US are in fully vaccinated populations. In Israel, it was discovered that immunization for pertussis actually causes colonization of para pertussis and much of the outbreaks are this species. In addition, we know the acellular vaccine is failing and this topic is all the rage in the industry. In fact, those who are not vaccinated tend to do better in the outbreaks for reasons unknown. please do your homework before spreading untruths

his findings can and have been replicated. remember, there was found to be no basis for Deer’s allegations and the case was thrown out of court in England. Numerous other researchers have published the gut-brain connection and vaccine courts in and out of the US have paid damages to hundreds of children with brain damage leaving them autistic. please review the cases before making allegations.

Vaccine "science" is NOTHING BUT "tobacco science" plain & simple. It is NOT based in valid & legitimate UNBIASED fact, but rather just like the same "science" that claimed that smoking & tobacco were safe in the 1950s (and prior) vaccine "science" is based on manipulated data & biased studies conducted by those with clear conflicts of interest, secret agendas & ulterior motives!

Immunization for pertussis CANNOT cause colonization by b. parapertussis – because it does not CONTAIN b. parapertussis. Immunization against pertussis cannot cause pertussis either, since it is acellular.

The number of vaccinated individuals far outnumbers those who are unvaccinated, so we would expect to see more cases in vaccinated populations. If there’s 1000 vaccinated for every 1 unvaccinated, well that shouldn’t be too difficult to understand (I know math is hard, but the denominator matters).

The difference is, unvaccinated have a higher incidence rate of vaccine preventable diseases, as a greater proportion of their population is susceptible.

Distilled water – doesn’t do anything.
Saline – doesn’t do anything|
Formaldehyde – it’s used to inactivate the virus – it’s not an issue because our bodies can metabolize it in less than 2 minutes.
Aluminum salt (either phosphate or hydroxide) – it’s used as an adjuvant to increase the immune response to the antigen. It’s excreted by the kidneys. Also not an issue.
Neomycin (in some vaccines) it’s an antibiotic. It’s there to prevent colonization of the vaccine by bacteria, etc.

First off, the ONLY reason that the Vaccine Injury Court has only compensated a very small number of cases is because LESS THAN 10% OF VACCINE INJURY & VACCINE INDUCED DEATH CASES ARE EVER EVEN REPORTED to VAERS!!

So IN ONLY 3300 CASES have been compensated and that is LESS than 10% of the TOTAL VACCINE INJURY cases, the number of UNREPORTED vaccine injuries is NOT small, but rather a LARGE PERCENTAGE of the number of vaccine doses given!!

For example, the CDC in China ADMITS that "for every life they help save from disease – the dreaded jab also harms more than 1,000 children, according to the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention."

Vaccine issues aside (the few valid points about spacing out vaccines are overshadowed by his focus on the scare tactic of “everyone is corrupt so who are they to tell you what to do anyway?”), is the author advocating for continued use of Metzitz B’Peh? Absolutely disgusting. The Halachic backing for it is weak at best and CERTAINLY not in the face of direct harm to the infant.
Ushmartem Et Nafshoteichem – if you’re going to use it to push an anti-vaccination agenda, yuo have to keep it in mind for the Bris as well!

Jane, for the first link, you can click on the disease such as Hepatitis B, then click on the vaccine brand name such as Engerix-B, on pp. 6 and 7 are the adverse reactions from clinical trials and post-marketing. As for the 2nd link, it worked fine when I posted it earlier. Possibly an over-zealous vaccine proponent is abusing the Facebook reporting system?

Kelly, I never suggested anything about a conspiracy. No one is paying me. My child is vaccine-damaged. I hope that others will take the time to become fully informed about all aspects of vaccinations and make their own choices for their own children, something I never knew to do until it was too late.

You misunderstand, antivaccine person- claims for compensation have nothing to do with reports to VAERS. They are directed through the NCVIP. And we know from analysis of VAERS reports that only 3% of reports were definitely caused by vaccines.

PS I hope you realize that vaccine manufacturer's information sheets must include by statute all events that have ever been reported following administration of a vaccine, even when those things are coincidental and not causal?

Readers should be aware that some antivaccine posters here may be in the employ of pharmaceutical companies. They are the ones who profit most by the unchecked spread of disease, all of which needs expensive treatment.

Your first link talks about long term formaldehyde exposure.
Fortunate then that vaccines which have formaldehyde are only given very intermittently.
Also, I hope you realize that a child's body produces on a daily basis more formaldehyde than in any vaccine? Why, I guess kids must be poisoning themselves, what with that genuine long term exposure…

Linda Tick Tock Actually his findings have been replicated NUMEROUS times in Canada, in the US, in UK and elsewhere. And your comments about the vaccine ingredients are TOTALLY FALSE!

For example the use and overuse of antibiotics (like Neomycin) in vaccines are probably one of the reasons that people are developing resistance to antibiotics while diseases are mutating into drug-resistant strains. You really need to WAKE UP from the pHARMa-funded propaganda and do your homework!!

Thank you Rabbi, for looking a bit deeper into the situation which has blinded so many. I trained as a pediatrician, ran an ER, have a masters in disaster medicine and I can't begin to tell you how deep the corruption is between pharma and the CDC. It is beyond the pale!

Unfortunately, kelly Bray, your comments are not based in reality. The majority of outbreaks in the US are in fully vaccinated populations. In Israel, it was discovered that immunization for pertussis actually causes colonization of para pertussis and much of the outbreaks are this species. In addition, we know the acellular vaccine is failing and this topic is all the rage in the industry. In fact, those who are not vaccinated tend to do better in the outbreaks for reasons unknown. please do your homework before spreading untruths

his findings can and have been replicated. remember, there was found to be no basis for Deer's allegations and the case was thrown out of court in England. Numerous other researchers have published the gut-brain connection and vaccine courts in and out of the US have paid damages to hundreds of children with brain damage leaving them autistic. please review the cases before making allegations.

Immunization for pertussis CANNOT cause colonization by b. parapertussis – because it does not CONTAIN b. parapertussis. Immunization against pertussis cannot cause pertussis either, since it is acellular.

The number of vaccinated individuals far outnumbers those who are unvaccinated, so we would expect to see more cases in vaccinated populations. If there's 1000 vaccinated for every 1 unvaccinated, well that shouldn't be too difficult to understand (I know math is hard, but the denominator matters).

The difference is, unvaccinated have a higher incidence rate of vaccine preventable diseases, as a greater proportion of their population is susceptible.

Distilled water – doesn't do anything.
Saline – doesn't do anything|
Formaldehyde – it's used to inactivate the virus – it's not an issue because our bodies can metabolize it in less than 2 minutes.
Aluminum salt (either phosphate or hydroxide) – it's used as an adjuvant to increase the immune response to the antigen. It's excreted by the kidneys. Also not an issue.
Neomycin (in some vaccines) it's an antibiotic. It's there to prevent colonization of the vaccine by bacteria, etc.

Vaccine issues aside (the few valid points about spacing out vaccines are overshadowed by his focus on the scare tactic of "everyone is corrupt so who are they to tell you what to do anyway?"), is the author advocating for continued use of Metzitz B'Peh? Absolutely disgusting. The Halachic backing for it is weak at best and CERTAINLY not in the face of direct harm to the infant.
Ushmartem Et Nafshoteichem – if you're going to use it to push an anti-vaccination agenda, yuo have to keep it in mind for the Bris as well!

Actually his findings have been replicated NUMEROUS times. And your comments about the vaccine ingredients are TOTALLY FALSE!

For example the use and overuse of antibiotics (like Neomycin) in vaccines are probably one of the reasons that people are developing resistance to antibiotics while diseases are mutating into drug-resistant strains. You really need to WAKE UP from the pHARMa-funded propaganda and do your homework!!

Linda Tick Tock Actually his findings have been replicated NUMEROUS times in Canada, in the US, in UK and elsewhere. And your comments about the vaccine ingredients are TOTALLY FALSE!

For example the use and overuse of antibiotics (like Neomycin) in vaccines are probably one of the reasons that people are developing resistance to antibiotics while diseases are mutating into drug-resistant strains. You really need to WAKE UP from the pHARMa-funded propaganda and do your homework!!

I was with you until you mentioned the anti-defamation for the mutilation of boy's genitals. I could no longer read after that because of that absolutely disgusting statement. I'm sure I'll get ripped apart here, and honestly I didn't know what else I would expect from a Jewish linked article, but the fact that your website even exists is enough to make me want to vomit. Get your hands off of little boy's penises!

I stopped midway through the second paragraph. It’s people like this who are perpetuating the ongoing transmission of these vaccine-preventable diseases. Vaccines are the one medical intervention that have been recommended over and over and over, for centuries, administered around the world to millions of people. “Subject” people to vaccines? Because people should prefer to be subjected to the life-threatening sequelae and even death that can result from enduring the disease itself. It is frightening to see such a widely read newspaper disseminate blatantly false and harmful information. I am abhorred.

Articles and authors like this drove me to pursue my MPH. That vaccines are good is, in fact, old news. These “news” stories must be fought tooth and nail to protect the larger community and the vulnerable populations. http://www.voicesforvaccines.org/

“At lease the IRS doesn’t kill you?” Lord help us all if this mentality continues to spread. It’s not bad enough that resurgence of pertussis at this point in 2013 is the worst in fifty years. To quote Dr. Alan Hinman, former Assistant Surgeon General, “Vaccines are good; disease is bad.”

I stopped midway through the second paragraph. It's people like this who are perpetuating the ongoing transmission of these vaccine-preventable diseases. Vaccines are the one medical intervention that have been recommended over and over and over, for centuries, administered around the world to millions of people. "Subject" people to vaccines? Because people should prefer to be subjected to the life-threatening sequelae and even death that can result from enduring the disease itself. It is frightening to see such a widely read newspaper disseminate blatantly false and harmful information. I am abhorred.

Articles and authors like this drove me to pursue my MPH. That vaccines are good is, in fact, old news. These "news" stories must be fought tooth and nail to protect the larger community and the vulnerable populations. http://www.voicesforvaccines.org/

"At lease the IRS doesn't kill you?" Lord help us all if this mentality continues to spread. It's not bad enough that resurgence of pertussis at this point in 2013 is the worst in fifty years. To quote Dr. Alan Hinman, former Assistant Surgeon General, "Vaccines are good; disease is bad."

No Kelly actually they DON’T have any “rigorous peer studies”. If the “peer studies” are so rigorous as you CLAIM, why is it that drugs like Vioxx were able to KILL OVER 50,000 PEOPLE before it was finally TAKEN OFF the market?? Or Baycol, or Bextra, or Avandia, or Phen-Fen, or Meridia, or Redux or whatever other the “drug du jour is”?

EVERY drug and vaccine that has been taken off the market (thalidomide, DES, Vioxx, Bextra, Baycol, etc.) were first deemed “safe and effective” by your so-called “rigorous peer studies”!!

With 50+ vaccines in JUST THE FIRST TWO YEARS of life, vaccines ARE administered enough to be (or become) a contributing factor to developing antibiotic resistance.

Especially when the 50+ vaccines in just the first 2 years of life is COMBINED with the antibiotics that are prescribed for every ear infection (which occurs PRIMARILY among the vaccinated while being RARE among the unvaccinated) and other illnesses, AND the antibiotics added to food.

Vaccines may not/are not the sole cause of the development of antibiotic resistance, but they DEFINITELY help “load the gun”!!

First off, since LESS THAN 10% of vaccine injuries are ever even reported, the figure of 1,000 injuries for each one “saved by vaccines” is ITSELF significantly underestimated when you factor in the OTHER 90% of vaccine injury cases that were never reported or recorded (usually because the biased brainwashed sheeple [like you!] doctors refuse to report vaccine reactions, instead minimizing & dismissing those with vaccine injuries, claiming that it is something else, or more frequently, that they don’t know what it is, but yet at the same time, trying to categorically state that “it has nothing to do with vaccines”)

Secondly, your claim about being more likely to die in a car accident than be injured by a vaccine is complete crap as well. Because the difference is that, with car accidents, it is RANDOM, and for the most part, it is NOT preventable (though the risks CAN be reduced, by not driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, by not texting & driving, and by trying to avoid being on the roads at times when drunks are more likely to be on the road, etc.)

However vaccine injuries ARE preventable, because it is NOT necessary to inject toxic sludge into oneself or one’s own kids to stay healthy. The SIGNIFICANTLY better health of the unvaccinated (http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/marvelous-health-of-unvaccinated/) compared to those who willingly pump themselves full of hazmat waste (if you don’t believe me that its hazardous waste, just ask/see what happens if someone drops & spills a vial of vaccine solution! They have to call in the Hazmat team in Tyvek suits to clean it up!)

Your comment is such BS, I don’t even know where to begin, and I don’t have the time for it anyway.

But since you ended with a quote, so will I, from Dr. J. Anthony Morris, former Chief Vaccine Control Officer and research virologist at the US FDA who said, “There is a great deal of evidence to prove that immunization of children does more harm than good.”

No Kelly actually they DON'T have any "rigorous peer studies". If the "peer studies" are so rigorous as you CLAIM, why is it that drugs like Vioxx were able to KILL OVER 50,000 PEOPLE before it was finally TAKEN OFF the market?? Or Baycol, or Bextra, or Avandia, or Phen-Fen, or Meridia, or Redux or whatever other the "drug du jour is"?

EVERY drug and vaccine that has been taken off the market (thalidomide, DES, Vioxx, Bextra, Baycol, etc.) were first deemed "safe and effective" by your so-called "rigorous peer studies"!!

No Kelly actually they DON'T have any "rigorous peer studies". If the "peer studies" are so rigorous as you CLAIM, why is it that drugs like Vioxx were able to KILL OVER 50,000 PEOPLE before it was finally TAKEN OFF the market?? Or Baycol, or Bextra, or Avandia, or Phen-Fen, or Meridia, or Redux or whatever other the "drug du jour is"?

EVERY drug and vaccine that has been taken off the market (thalidomide, DES, Vioxx, Bextra, Baycol, etc.) were first deemed "safe and effective" by your so-called "rigorous peer studies"!!

With 50+ vaccines in JUST THE FIRST TWO YEARS of life, vaccines ARE administered enough to be (or become) a contributing factor to developing antibiotic resistance.

Especially when the 50+ vaccines in just the first 2 years of life is COMBINED with the antibiotics that are prescribed for every ear infection (which occurs PRIMARILY among the vaccinated while being RARE among the unvaccinated) and other illnesses, AND the antibiotics added to food.

Vaccines may not/are not the sole cause of the development of antibiotic resistance, but they DEFINITELY help "load the gun"!!

First off, since LESS THAN 10% of vaccine injuries are ever even reported, the figure of 1,000 injuries for each one "saved by vaccines" is ITSELF significantly underestimated when you factor in the OTHER 90% of vaccine injury cases that were never reported or recorded (usually because the biased brainwashed sheeple [like you!] doctors refuse to report vaccine reactions, instead minimizing & dismissing those with vaccine injuries, claiming that it is something else, or more frequently, that they don't know what it is, but yet at the same time, trying to categorically state that "it has nothing to do with vaccines")

Secondly, your claim about being more likely to die in a car accident than be injured by a vaccine is complete crap as well. Because the difference is that, with car accidents, it is RANDOM, and for the most part, it is NOT preventable (though the risks CAN be reduced, by not driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, by not texting & driving, and by trying to avoid being on the roads at times when drunks are more likely to be on the road, etc.)

However vaccine injuries ARE preventable, because it is NOT necessary to inject toxic sludge into oneself or one's own kids to stay healthy. The SIGNIFICANTLY better health of the unvaccinated (http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/marvelous-health-of-unvaccinated/) compared to those who willingly pump themselves full of hazmat waste (if you don't believe me that its hazardous waste, just ask/see what happens if someone drops & spills a vial of vaccine solution! They have to call in the Hazmat team in Tyvek suits to clean it up!)

Your comment is such BS, I don't even know where to begin, and I don't have the time for it anyway.

But since you ended with a quote, so will I, from Dr. J. Anthony Morris, former Chief Vaccine Control Officer and research virologist at the US FDA who said, "There is a great deal of evidence to prove that immunization of children does more harm than good."

formaldehyde, high aluminum, polysorbate 80, etc… add it all together and its a recipe for toxicity. Anyone can nitpick one ingredient, but perhaps you should review the synergistic interaction of the entire list. Oh wait, that’s right.. we have ZERO studies on aluminum and mercury for example.

formaldehyde, high aluminum, polysorbate 80, etc… add it all together and its a recipe for toxicity. Anyone can nitpick one ingredient, but perhaps you should review the synergistic interaction of the entire list. Oh wait, that's right.. we have ZERO studies on aluminum and mercury for example.

Maybe a pro-child molestation guy isn't the best to speak up for bris milah or metzitza b'peh? You should've only let him speak his words about child molestation after this other nonsense, or better yet, not let him speak at all.

Jerusha Barton, don’t worry about what this “Rabbi” says. He advises that Jews shouldn’t go to the “secular” authorities in cases of child abuse/molestation, because he argues the non Jews are too over zealous and see abuse everywhere. There are special places where such people go, and I have a hard time imagining it’s a good one…

Those who advocate for a more “spread out” schedule are almost as bad as the vaccine refusers. The vaccine schedule is precisely laid to ensure maximum protection of infants while balancing any interference from maternal antibodies. The immune system does not handle one germ at a time only, so while it appears disturbing the doctor “runs out of appendages” to vaccinate, the immune system is NOT overwhelmed. Therefore, there is NO basis for asking for a more spread-out schedule. Give the child a pediatric Motrin and be done with it. MMR has NOT been “proven” to have a bad record. In fact, in countries where there are current measles SIAs (mass vaccination campaigns), the WHO and local governments are petitioning to use the MMR so as to protect against congenital rubella syndrome. MMR got a bad reputation from a “doctor” who received payment from lawyers looking for someone to blame for a child’s mental disabilities. He has since been stripped of his medical license and practicing privileges in the U.K., moved to Texas, and from there has been the subject of many a lawsuit. Study after study after study has debunked the Wakefield’s claim that MMR vaccine “causes” autism. It is false and it perpetuates fear, which leads people to not vaccine or delay vaccination, which breaches herd immunity and leaves the youngest segment of the population vulnerable while ensuring the disease spreads within other age groups as well. Vaccines are neither 100% perfect nor 100% effective. But they work. The schedule works. The only vaccine that had a “bad enough” rap was the whole-cell pertussis vaccine. People accused the vaccine of causing “brain damage.” That was unfounded. However, whole-cell pertussis vaccine did seem to be associated with an increased incidence of seizures and other more-severe-than-expected adverse events and so was phased out by 1997 from use in the U.S. Since then, we have seen an increasing resurgence in children and adolescents who have received a mix or ONLY the acellular pertussis vaccine. Because of the resurgence, Tdap was created and recommended for use in 11-12y.o. in 2005. Eight years out, immunity provided by DTaP (pediatric formulation) and Tdap wane a horrifying amount within 5-10 years. The CDC has investigated the option of having two Tdap booster doses, but this recommendation was declined at the most recent meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practice (ACIP, which makes immunization recommendations for the CDC and thus the U.S.) in June 2013. Vaccines work. When people call their safety and effectiveness completely into doubt and the demand is high enough, we have disappointments like Tdap and frequent resurgences, like measles and mumps. So with millions of lives saved and very few severe adverse events, who would dare say vaccines cuase “more harm than good?” Last I checked, smallpox was eradicated off the face of the Earth and how many diseases have decreased in incidence by ~80-98% since their implementation? That’s pretty damn hard to argue with, @Anti-Vaccine Liberals. And whomever you quoted probably doesn’t work for the FDA at this point. If you doubt ANYTHING I’ve written, check for yourself. The ACIP meeting minutes and webcast are available to the public: http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/acip/

Actually, Wakefield’s study was based on very few children (some of whom were attending his own child’s birthday party). The CDC isn’t the only entity to attempt to replicate Wakefield’s findings. Therein lies the LACK of evidence to support Wakefield’s “causal” link between vaccines and autism.

Jerusha Barton, don't worry about what this "Rabbi" says. He advises that Jews shouldn't go to the "secular" authorities in cases of child abuse/molestation, because he argues the non Jews are too over zealous and see abuse everywhere. There are special places where such people go, and I have a hard time imagining it's a good one…

“First off, the ONLY reason that the Vaccine Injury Court has only compensated a very small number of cases is because LESS THAN 10% OF VACCINE INJURY & VACCINE INDUCED DEATH CASES ARE EVER EVEN REPORTED to VAERS!!

So IN ONLY 3300 CASES have been compensated and that is LESS than 10% of the TOTAL VACCINE INJURY cases, the number of UNREPORTED vaccine injuries is NOT small, but rather a LARGE PERCENTAGE of the number of vaccine doses given!!” VAERS and the vaccine court are two different things. First, there is no evidence for your claim that only 10% of serious injuries (as opposed to sore arms and mild fevers) are reported. Second, anyone with a serious injury can sue. Some people may not sue, but we know that people sue for injuries not caused by vaccines, like autism. So if you are going to claim the suits are less than the total, please provide some evidence. Second, even if we go with your assessment – 10 fold as many – that’s 0.3%.

As to peer review studies – to remind you, we are talking about vaccines, not drugs. Vaccines have an elaborate system of post-clinical trials monitoring in place, and many studies are done after they are on the market. Done by researchers in universities across the world. With multiple sources of funding. The claim that all the researchers in the world are bought, all the governments in the world that monitor vaccines and support their safety are bought is just unconvincing, especially since you provided no evidence for it.

“he VICP has paid out at least 83 cases of vaccine-induced encephalopathy (aka “autism) and that has been documented by Pace University School of Law.” encephalopathy is not autism. The article you refer to found that 83 of the 3300 cases compensated by the NVICP had autism. Given the rate of autism in the country, that’s pretty low; and it’s certainly not evidence that vaccines cause autism. The NVICP never compensated a child on the theory that vaccines caused that child autism. Never.

“unavoidably unsafe” – actually, the majority of the Supreme Court in BRuesewitz v. Wyeth rejected the application of the term (which does not mean what you think it means) to vaccines. I urge people to read the case.

Science did not claim that tobacco and smoking were safe in the 1950s; studies were slowly accumulating to the problems. Tobacco companies claimed it was safe. The CDC collects peer reviewed vaccine studies on vaccine safety from all over the world and organizes them by year here: http://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/library/index.html. If you think any of those studies are corrupt, would you mind pointing them out and explaining why?

Vaccines are 0.5 ml, a 1/10th of a teaspoon, most of which are liquid, usually distilled water. The amounts of additional ingredients them are minute. Since all these ingredients are already all around you – in the air, in the earth, in the food, and in the case of formaldehyde already produced by your body, obsessing about the tiny amounts in the vaccines is a little strange.

Those who advocate for a more "spread out" schedule are almost as bad as the vaccine refusers. The vaccine schedule is precisely laid to ensure maximum protection of infants while balancing any interference from maternal antibodies. The immune system does not handle one germ at a time only, so while it appears disturbing the doctor "runs out of appendages" to vaccinate, the immune system is NOT overwhelmed. Therefore, there is NO basis for asking for a more spread-out schedule. Give the child a pediatric Motrin and be done with it. MMR has NOT been "proven" to have a bad record. In fact, in countries where there are current measles SIAs (mass vaccination campaigns), the WHO and local governments are petitioning to use the MMR so as to protect against congenital rubella syndrome. MMR got a bad reputation from a "doctor" who received payment from lawyers looking for someone to blame for a child's mental disabilities. He has since been stripped of his medical license and practicing privileges in the U.K., moved to Texas, and from there has been the subject of many a lawsuit. Study after study after study has debunked the Wakefield's claim that MMR vaccine "causes" autism. It is false and it perpetuates fear, which leads people to not vaccine or delay vaccination, which breaches herd immunity and leaves the youngest segment of the population vulnerable while ensuring the disease spreads within other age groups as well. Vaccines are neither 100% perfect nor 100% effective. But they work. The schedule works. The only vaccine that had a "bad enough" rap was the whole-cell pertussis vaccine. People accused the vaccine of causing "brain damage." That was unfounded. However, whole-cell pertussis vaccine did seem to associated with an increased incidence of seizures and other more-severe-than-expected adverse events and so was phased out by 1997 from use in the U.S. Since then, we have seen an increasing resurgence in children and adolescents who have received a mix or ONLY the acellular pertussis vaccine. Because of the resurgence, Tdap was created and recommended for use in 11-12y.o. in 2005. Eight years out, immunity provided by DTaP (pediatric formulation) and Tdap wane a horrifying amount within 5-10 years. The CDC has investigated the option of having two Tdap booster doses, but this recommendation was declined at the most recent Advisory Committee on Immunization Practice (ACIP, which makes immunization recommendation for the CDC and thus the U.S.) in June 2013. Vaccines work. When people call their safety and effectiveness completely into doubt and the demand is high enough, we have disappointments like Tdap and frequent resurgences, like measles and mumps. So with millions of lives saved and very few severe adverse events, who would dare say vaccines cuase "more harm than good?" Last I checked, smallpox was eradicated off the face of the Earth and how many diseases have decreased in incidence by 80-90% since their implementation? That's pretty damn hard to argue with, @Anti-Vaccine Liberals. And whomever you quoted probably doesn't work for the FDA at this point.

Actually, Wakefield's study was based on very few children (some of whom were attending his own child's birthday party). The CDC isn't the only entity to attempt to replicate Wakefield's findings. Therein lies the LACK of evidence to support Wakefield's "causal" link between vaccines and autism.

"First off, the ONLY reason that the Vaccine Injury Court has only compensated a very small number of cases is because LESS THAN 10% OF VACCINE INJURY & VACCINE INDUCED DEATH CASES ARE EVER EVEN REPORTED to VAERS!!

So IN ONLY 3300 CASES have been compensated and that is LESS than 10% of the TOTAL VACCINE INJURY cases, the number of UNREPORTED vaccine injuries is NOT small, but rather a LARGE PERCENTAGE of the number of vaccine doses given!!" VAERS and the vaccine court are two different things. First, there is no evidence for your claim that only 10% of serious injuries (as opposed to sore arms and mild fevers) are reported. Second, anyone with a serious injury can sue. Some people may not sue, but we know that people sue for injuries not caused by vaccines, like autism. So if you are going to claim the suits are less than the total, please provide some evidence. Second, even if we go with your assessment – 10 fold as many – that's 0.3%.

As to peer review studies – to remind you, we are talking about vaccines, not drugs. Vaccines have an elaborate system of post-clinical trials monitoring in place, and many studies are done after they are on the market. Done by researchers in universities across the world. With multiple sources of funding. The claim that all the researchers in the world are bought, all the governments in the world that monitor vaccines and support their safety are bought is just unconvincing, especially since you provided no evidence for it.

"he VICP has paid out at least 83 cases of vaccine-induced encephalopathy (aka "autism) and that has been documented by Pace University School of Law." encephalopathy is not autism. The article you refer to found that 83 of the 3300 cases compensated by the NVICP had autism. Given the rate of autism in the country, that's pretty low; and it's certainly not evidence that vaccines cause autism. The NVICP never compensated a child on the theory that vaccines caused that child autism. Never.

"unavoidably unsafe" – actually, the majority of the Supreme Court in BRuesewitz v. Wyeth rejected the application of the term (which does not mean what you think it means) to vaccines. I urge people to read the case.

Science did not claim that tobacco and smoking were safe in the 1950s; studies were slowly accumulating to the problems. Tobacco companies claimed it was safe. The CDC collects peer reviewed vaccine studies on vaccine safety from all over the world and organizes them by year here: http://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/library/index.html. If you think any of those studies are corrupt, would you mind pointing them out and explaining why?

Vaccines are 0.5 ml, a 1/10th of a teaspoon, most of which are liquid, usually distilled water. The amounts of additional ingredients them are minute. Since all these ingredients are already all around you – in the air, in the earth, in the food, and in the case of formaldehyde already produced by your body, obsessing about the tiny amounts in the vaccines is a little strange.

People DO become resistant to antibiotics! Ever heard of “Multi-Drug Resistant TB”? “Drug-Resistant MRSA”??”

I do have to point out a rather large flaw in your statement.

People do NOT become resistant to antibiotics. From your own words, “Multi-Drug Resistant TB”

TB stands for tuberculosis. It’s not a person. Neither is “Drug-Resistant MRSA” They are bacteria. The individual with DR-TB or DR-MRSA is not resistant to antibiotics, the bacterium in question is resistant.

If you’re going to call someone an idiot, please be sure to leave your stupid behind before posting.

Actually Jenifer, the Vaccine Safety Datalink does monitor the recipients of vaccines in the US (and it isn’t headed by the CDC) and they also watch for any possibility of synergistic effects of vaccines.

To date, there is no evidence to suggest that the components of the vaccine schedule exhibit any synergism in the recipients.

People DO become resistant to antibiotics! Ever heard of "Multi-Drug Resistant TB"? "Drug-Resistant MRSA"??"

I do have to point out a rather large flaw in your statement.

People do NOT become resistant to antibiotics. From your own words, "Multi-Drug Resistant TB"

TB stands for tuberculosis. It's not a person. Neither is "Drug-Resistant MRSA" They are bacteria. The individual with DR-TB or DR-MRSA is not resistant to antibiotics, the bacterium in question is resistant.

If you're going to call someone an idiot, please be sure to leave your stupid behind before posting.

People DO become resistant to antibiotics! Ever heard of "Multi-Drug Resistant TB"? "Drug-Resistant MRSA"??"

I do have to point out a rather large flaw in your statement.

People do NOT become resistant to antibiotics. From your own words, "Multi-Drug Resistant TB"

TB stands for tuberculosis. It's not a person. Neither is "Drug-Resistant MRSA" They are bacteria. The individual with DR-TB or DR-MRSA is not resistant to antibiotics, the bacterium in question is resistant.

If you're going to call someone an idiot, please be sure to leave your stupid behind before posting.

Actually Jenifer, the Vaccine Safety Datalink does monitor the recipients of vaccines in the US (and it isn't headed by the CDC) and they also watch for any possibility of synergistic effects of vaccines.

To date, there is no evidence to suggest that the components of the vaccine schedule exhibit any synergism in the recipients.

Actually, it’s not the PEOPLE who become “antibiotic-resistant,” it’s the particular strain of an organism that receives this resistance, whether through conjugation with another organism or learned resistance from repeated, incomplete treatments of antibiotics. Pick up a microbiology textbook sometime. And maybe an immunology book at that, those who don’t “believe” in vaccines.

Very, Very few cases ever reach the vaccine court. There are very many technical rules that disqualify cases from even being heard, and those cases that are heard are a very tiny percentage of the actual cases that are out there. This is clearly a case of bureaucratic stonewalling.

There have been confirming studies in other countries. The famous Danish study that “debunked” Wakefield’s research was conducted by a scientist connected to a major vaccine manufacturer–hardly an unbiased study!

Why are you regurgitating the disinformation put out by the NYC Department of Health and the CDC. The whole point of this article is that the Federal judge who looked at this data rejected it as seriously flawed, based on the very thorough analysis provided by affadavits submitted by experts on epidemiology, statistics, and infection control. There is not even a single case of DNA-linked evidence–the “gold standard” of forensic science.

Daniel: I see that you’re disgusted by what we Jews have been doing for over 3000 years. You have no respect for your fathers and grandfathers, who were ho;y and compassionate men, devoted to Torah and Mitzvos. You have bought into the pagan gods of scintific materialism, the same gods who declare that you are the descendent of mokeys–how’s that for disgusting!

Actually, it's not the PEOPLE who become "antibiotic-resistant," it's the particular strain of an organism that receives this resistance, whether through conjugation with another organism or learned resistance from repeated, incomplete treatments of antibiotics. Pick up a microbiology textbook sometime. And maybe an immunology book at that, those who don't "believe" in vaccines.

Jerusha Barton So,l Do you agree with Dr. Paul Offit, a major heavy-hitter in the field of vaccines, that a child can take 100,000 vaccines with no adverse effects? If not, what is a reasonable limit? Is there a limit? Are all children alike? can all children defend themselves equally well when assaulted by intentionally-injected disease germs and poisonous chemicals?

Very, Very few cases ever reach the vaccine court. There are very many technical rules that disqualify cases from even being heard, and those cases that are heard are a very tiny percentage of the actual cases that are out there. This is clearly a case of bureaucratic stonewalling.

There have been confirming studies in other countries. The famous Danish study that "debunked" Wakefield's research was conducted by a scientist connected to a major vaccine manufacturer–hardly an unbiased study!

Thank you, Rabbi Handler, for an excellent article. Vaccines are neither all bad nor all good. They need to be approached with scientific detachment, not fervent idolatry. These are personal medical decisions with risks on both sides, and should not be the the subject of coercion and propaganda. Adverse reactions need to be studied and better understood, not swept under the rug – just like airplane crashes are studied to improve safety, by people who are not “anti-airplane”.

re: “That vaccines are good is, in fact, old news.” Really? It’s that simple? Even good things can have unintended consequences, which must be better understood. Perhaps your arrogant one-sided views will only change if you personally witness an obvious, serious adverse reaction. Almost everyone who has not experienced this seems to be in denial. You think you’re so smart, but you’re actually swallowing simplistic propaganda hook, line, and sinker. No medical treatment should be above questions. Idolatry is not science. If vaccines are an important weapon in our war against infectious diseases, that does not prove that it is safe for all babies to receive two dozen vaccines during the first two years of life.

To Rabbi Handler, Thankyou for speaking the truth as you know it and see it. All medical issues should, ideally , be discussed dispassionately and from all possible angles. Why should anyone fear hearing the truth. Let us all discard our egos(and our ties to vaccine manufacturers) and seek the truth.

Not really. There is a difference in magnitude between the risks of vaccines and the risks of vaccine preventable diseases. This table from the Australian government may help appreciate that difference: http://www.health.gov.au/internet/immunise/publishing.nsf/Content/D35CD18A3985212ECA2574E2000F9A4F/$File/quick_sideeffects.pdf. Notice how dramatically larger the dangers of the diseases are. Adverse reactions are extensively studied, and we know a lot about them. Wanting to improve vaccine safety is a desirable goal; but that’s not what this article does: it rejects vaccines generally, based on no credible research but on conspiracy theories and discredited data – and against large amounts of studies.

The truth is great. This article has precious little on it: it relies on conspiracy theories and discredited research and ignores innumerable studies that do not fit the Rabbi’s preconceived anti-vaccine bias.

There is no vaccination campaign in the history of medcine which has not created new and far more serious diseases — usually fatal and with no known cures — than the one allegedly targeted by the vaccine in question. Btw, where did Hep B infection in man come from in the first place? From a smallpox vaccination campaign in 1883 among shipyard workers in Bremen, Germany. In that case, the vaccine was contaminated with putrid human lymph, and Hep B was “created.” But, never fear, over 80 years later (and how many deaths from Hep B worldwide?), the Feds are hot into developing another vaccine for a vaccine-created disease in the first place. Quite a racket these vaccines create for medicine, huh?

Anyone want a list of the other diseases which vaccination campaigns have created among us and which today still have no known cures? At least, measles, rubella, rotavirus, and that ilk tend to be mild diseases in children which rarely, if ever, are fatal these days.

More jewels from our CDC:
“The earliest recognition of the public health importance of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is thought to have occurred when it appeared as an adverse event associated with a vaccination campaign. In 1883 in Bremen, Germany, 15 percent of 1,289 shipyard workers inoculated with a smallpox vaccine made from human lymph fell ill with jaundice during the weeks following vaccination (1). The etiology of ‘serum hepatitis,’ as it was known for many years, was not identified until the 1960s (2), and only following the subsequent development of laboratory markers for infection was its significance as a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide fully appreciated (3).”http://epirev.oxfordjournals.org/content/28/1/112.long

Dorit Reiss, thimerosal is so toxic it has never been adequately studied, according to material safety data sheets. For years, babies were getting far more than would be safe under methyl mercury vapor standards. No one really knows if there is a safe level at all for thimerosal.

The CDC itself spends big bucks to try to bolster the reputation of vaccines on social media sites. Here is just one example:http://www.prweekus.com/cdc-allocates-up-to-65-million-for-vaccine-pr/article/252293/ CDC allocates up to $6.5 million for vaccine PR
Virgil DicksonJuly 30, 2012
ATLANTA: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is increasing its promotion of the benefits of immunization via a trio of RFPs worth a collective $6.5 million targeting audiences ranging from preteens to medical providers.

The federal health agency has become especially concerned about the bad reputation some vaccines have developed in the minds of consumers. More websites, blog posts and articles have emerged in recent years claiming vaccines cause everything from autism to diabetes to Gulf War Syndrome, the CDC said …

It is also very hard to win in that court, because the deck is stacked against injured children winning there. That needs to change. I took a course in representing cases before the Vaccine Injury Compensation Court from Pace Law School, a few years ago.

Pertussis vaccination has not been a success story. People who are vaccinated become carriers, spreading the disease. Any immunity is
short-lived, lasting only a few years. And, the toxin secreted by the bordatella bacteria has mutated, becoming more virulent, probably due to mass vaccination. Articles by Dr. Frits Mooi of the Netherlands, and Srugo Day Care Study, can be found on the CDC website. We need to stop being fixated on vaccines and look at other ways to improve public health. The US is one of the unhealthiest countries in the world.

Christina Waldman, the Rabbi is not expressing concerns about vaccine safety, nor are most anti-vaccination activists. They are categorically opposed to all vaccines. VSS: The thrust of the Rabbi’s article is a conspiracy of pharma and CDC to push vaccines and hide their harms. What is that if not a conspiracy theory?

Christina Waldman these cases are sealed to protect the children’s interests. They include very private health data. The real question is, why do antivaccination sites feel comfortable violating a child’s privacy in this way and publicizing her case? But since it’s already out and discussed, it’s fair to point out the misrepresentations. And no, it’s not semantic: a mitochondrial disorder is not autism, and the fact that any fever could trigger Hannah’s regression is directly relevant.

hillel100 – one of the authors of the study was accused of embezzlement; a middle author, with no direct control over the data. Unlike Mr. Wakefield, there is no evidence that he tampered with the data. And the results fit what was discovered in other countries. There were no confirming studies – there is no credible study that found a connection between MMR (or any other vaccine) and autism.

Christina Waldman the court uses simpler procedure, not more difficult ones, then a civil suit. And losers can get lawyer fees. Do you think it’s easy to win a product liability case in the courts? What exactly do you think needs to change?

To Jerusha Barton, first I would point out that adding chicken pox to the MMR added “only” one seizure per thousand children to the rate for the MMR, so it was considered “safe.” You have attacked Dr. Wakefield in your comment. Dr. Wakefield’s only sin was that he publicly advocated for safer vaccines. He is suing the journalist who started the smear campaign against him, Brian Deer, along with the British Medical Journal and its editor Dr. Fiona Godlee. The case was heard May 22, 2013 in the Texas Third Court of Appeals on jurisdiction. Read Andrew J. Wakefield, “Callous Disregard, Autism and Vaccines, the Truth Behind a Tragedy.” (Skyhorse Publishing: Ny 2010

“Reb Avrohom “Romi” Cohn, an experienced Mohel who has performed over 35,000 Bris Milahs without even a single problem”- Sorry, but the math doesn’t work… that would be 1 a day, every single day for 95 years!

Christina Waldman Anecdotal evidence based on one person’s experience does not refute what Dorit is saying. And regardless of whether or not your story is true, all it would prove is that yes, there are stupid doctors out there.

Anti-Vaccine Liberals I took a look at the page and there are no citations, no facts, just pictures accompanying stories with no way to verify if they are true. The site also claims that 1 billion Chinese are vaccinated every year, so if these vaccines are as deadly as you claim wouldn’t China be inundated with millions of corpses every vaccine season?

Christina Waldman, the SV40 is an excellent example of how real vaccine problems are investigated, not covered up. 60 years ago Hillerman discovered the contamination, and was concerned it might cause cancer. It was made public, and a series of large scale studies examined whether SV40 caused cancer in people and found no increased incidence of cancer in children that got the contaminated vaccines v. those that did not (earlier studies suggested more research is needed – later no longer, because they were the more research):

hillel100 , Dr. Offit’s point was that the level of antigens in vaccines is small, compared to the assault on a child’s immune system from the world – children are exposed to a lot of bacteria and viruses just by living from the time they are born, and their immune system copes. The load on the immune system can be increased much more, said Offit and his collaborators. http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/109/1/124.full

Twylla, vaccines are constantly questioned, if by that you mean that specific vaccines are examined for specific problem. But the anti-vaccine movement does not examine specific concerns: they advocate that all vaccines are bad, all the time. The question about the number of vaccines is a legitimate one, but has answers – see the article in the previous post.

Vaccine Skeptic Society inactivated or “partial” vaccines are not injecting disease. As for live viruses, as you should know, they inject a weakened virus to allow your immune system a practice run with something a lot less dangerous than the actual wild virus, to allow you to create an immune response. Disease is dangerous; why would you want to remain unprepared, unprotected against the wild virus?

Margaret Kuebler the Hepatitis B was isolated during a small pox vaccination campaign, not created during it. Show me reliable evidence for one virus created by a vaccine. Mother nature does not need human help to create an impressive variety of potentially deadly organisms.

Christina Waldman Mr. Wakefield’s sins were hiding conflicts of interests, lying about ethics approval, and potentially misrepresenting results. He can sue whoever he wants for anything he wants, but that does not make him right (and even if his appeal on jurisdiction is accepted, his chances of winning a libel suit in the U.S. are pretty low).

Thank you, Rabbi Handler, for your interesting, heartfelt article. You are right about the dangers of vaccines: my baby reacted to the hep-B vax at birth, given without permission, with four days and nights of endless screaming, vaccine-induced encephalitis. At 18 months, she had her only two words erased by the DTaP booster, and was diagnosed with autism two months later. Both my arms were paralyzed after a tetanus booster earlier in the day, brachial plexus neuropathy, and I went on to develop MS. The vaccines are much more dangerous than the diseases. Pertussis can be dangerous for newborns under four or five months of age: as many as one in 200 of them may die. But the vaccine is completely ineffective at that age, and not much more effective in those older, and, since it doesn’t include ACT, does not prevent transmission. Of the 42,000 Americans diagnosed with pertussis last year, 85% had been appropriately vaccinated, but got it anyway. There were 18 fatalities, all in newborns, but even Dr. Schuchat said that the unvaccinated could not be blamed for that epidemic. Quarantine at home for infants and high-dose vitamin C therapy are the answer, not the dangerous, ineffective DTaP vaccine (or Tdap for those older).
Measles is not a killer disease for the previously healthy and well-nourished in the First World: these statistics from the UK Royal Health service show that only one to two out of every ten thousand sick with measles died from it back when it was still common: http://www.hpa.org.uk/web/HPAweb&HPAwebStandard/HPAweb_C/1195733835814.
For measles, vitamin A, bed rest, and the refusal to lower the fever artificially (Tylenol etc.) are the answer, and not the extremely dangerous MMR.

Vaccines damage your brain, because they always provoke inflammation: they are supposed to, because that forces the production of antibodies. But the inflammation often involves the brain, encephalitis, leading to autism, ADHD, seizure disorders, behavioral disorders, and learning disabilities. As in my daughter, who reacted to the hep-B vax at birth with encephalitis and autism. Vaccines sensitize the immune system to vaccine ingredients, which appear from out of nowhere and alarm the immune system too much. The immune system often launches an autoimmune response forever after when it sees something that alarmed it in the original vaccine (like peanut oil in vaccines causing peanut allergies in one in fifty vaccinated children), or it attacks its own systems if they resemble vaccine ingredients. In my case the vaccine-induced MS causes my immune system to strip the fatty myelin sheaths from nerve endings. Ingredients like mercury (still in most flu vaccines), aluminum, formaldehyde, animal and human proteins from the vaccine culture media, all do untold damage of their own. No vaccine is a good vaccine.

Dorit,
I had left a comment here several weeks ago on Rabbi Handler’s article: John Stone just told me that he had seen it here last Friday, but since then, it, his, and several others were taken down. I’m sure you realize that having opposing viewpoints censored and taken down is not the way people of integrity wage their battles.

If I understand correctly, your daughter has never been diagnosed with encephalitis. You deduced it yourself, based on her cries, with no medical confirmation or review by an expert. As for the autism diagnosis, the temporal connection is not a good indication of a causal connection, and as you know, multiple studies – large scale, in many countries, with many sources of funding – failed to find such a connection.

Cynthia Parker , I deny risks that evidence suggests are not connected to vaccines. I do not categorically deny the risks of vaccines. For example, you can have a severe allergic reaction; and in rare cases, the OPV can cause paralysis. But the evidence does not connect vaccines to, for example, autism.